It is well known how to dye natural clothing, such as but not limited to cotton based clothing. Even when that clothing is made of fabric that includes an amount of polyester or other man-made materials, the same dyeing process may be used even though the polyester portion of the fabric will remain un-dyed. Dyeing of cotton or partially cotton fabric is simple and permanent, with the dye being readily absorbed into the threads at ordinary temperatures and pressures. The process of dyeing a cotton-fabric garment is conventionally akin to printing on the garment.
However, when the fabric used to made garments is composed of mostly or entirely of polyester, the process of dyeing may be much more involved. To drive the dye into the threads of the material, which ordinarily would not absorb fluids, the fabric needs to be subjected to a great deal of pressure and/or temperature. Such pressure and temperature may damage or visually mar the garment.
These issues with damages due to heat and pressure are magnified when the polyester fabric is designed to be hydro-phobic or moisture wicking. These “high tech” fabrics are becoming more and more prevalent in the athletic and sportswear industries and are also rising in popularity in other garments as well. The heat and pressure can damage the porosity of the fabric or alter the desired sizes of the openings that aid the transport of moisture away from a user of the garment.
The use of conventional garment printing techniques, such as but not limited to screen printing or sublimation, without the use of the undesirable pressure and temperature, may also result in a less than ideal final product. If the dye is not driven into the threads of the fabric itself, the dye will merely sit on the fabric and not be a permanent change to the fabric. These non-penetrating dyes may eventually flake or wear off. In addition, the dyes may also serve to clog the pores and inhibit the moisture transfer abilities of the fabric.
Improvements to the methods and dyeing solutions for dyeing polyester fabric are desirable.